Running boards are very well known in the art. They are usually mounted to the frames or sill of small trucks such as pick-up trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) or to other vehicles to help the users to get in and out of the vehicle.
Conventionally, these running boards are made of metallic material such as steel, which is finished by chrome plating for example, or painted, both for aesthetic reasons and for protection against a corrosive environment. A drawback of these conventional steel running boards is that they are quite heavy and costly to manufacture.
More recently, running boards having a structural support portion made of coated steel but provided with a plastic top or step portion have been introduced in the market. These bi-material running boards are advantageous since they have a slightly reduced weight compared to conventional running boards and provide a top or step surface with good aesthetic tri-dimensional surface properties.
A drawback of the bi-material running boards is that their weight is still significant and the costs associated with the manufacturing and coating of the structural support portion is still relatively high.
Therefore, there is still a need for running boards that mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.